Torn Trust - Fluttercord
by Koloredkat
Summary: After almost ending Equestria, Discord loses Fluttershy's trust in him. While trying to gain it back, he realizes he may want more from her than just her trust. But, that may not be so easy to get, especially with a force so powerful not even the elements can destroy it is after Discord. (Takes place after the season 9 finale)
1. Distant

_**Chapter 1 - Distant**_

* * *

One month. Today was the one month anniversary of when Discord had betrayed Fluttershy and all of her friends… When he had betrayed all of Equestria, once again. He felt so disappointed in himself that he could do such harmful things and still say he is reformed. The feeling wasn't new, in fact, he felt the same way when he'd sided with Tirek around five years ago. The guilt never went away after all these years, he just seemed to forget about it when Fluttershy started to open up to and trust him again.

The draconequus sighed and looked at the framed picture of him and Fluttershy that he held in his hands.

How does he always end up like this? Every single time he did something right he'd end up doing something 10x worse. He really was only trying to help Twilight see that she was fit to be ruler of Equestria, but instead he just helped every-creature see the monster he _still _was.

He tried his best not to be this way, he really did! But all of his efforts seemed to be coming back to… This. He was starting to think it was hopeless, and that he'll never truly reform.

The shock and hurt in Fluttershy's eyes is what got him the most, swinging at him with memories of the other times he'd hurt her, intentionally or not. He tried his best to play it cool, but deep down, fear of losing his friend forever was nagging at him ferociously.

All of his thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door.

_Strange, _he thought. _I don't usually get visitors in the chaos dimension._

He opened the door to see a small mail-mare trying her best not to float away in the non-gravitational area.

"H-hello, Mr. Discord!" She stuttered with a terrified smile. "I-I'm here t-to deliver your mail, b-but I couldn't find your mail-box so-"

"Just give it to me." Discord said, more sharply than he intended. He held out his claw and watched as the mare sheepishly placed a letter into his palm.

"T-there you go..! I-I'll be leaving now!" She said, turning around and flailing her arms in the air, as if she were swimming.

Discord sighed, putting his paw to his face before continuing. "Where are you headed?"

"U-um…" She turned around hesitantly. "J-just to Ponyville."

The draconequus nodded and with a snap of his fingers, sent her to her destination. He smiled for a moment, thinking that at least he did something nice today.

_Sending someone to a town isn't going to make the world forgive you._

His smile faded. He hated to admit it, but his inner voice was right. Helping a mail-mare out of his dimension isn't going to make Fluttershy trust him again… If he _could _ever get her to trust him again.

When he realized he still had the mysterious letter in his claw, he sat down on his upside-down couch, and opened it up, reading what it said.

_Dear Discord,_

_It has come to my attention that with the Gala so soon, we may not be able to arrange such a big event in such a small amount of time._

_Of course, we will understand if you decline, but we request you help us with the Gala. We know your magic can get us the supplies we need more quickly than any postal service, and it would be wonderful if you could help us out tonight._

_Sincerely, Princess Twilight Sparkle._

Discord stared at the paper for a few seconds. He had totally forgotten about the Gala. He thought for a moment, then a small smile appeared on his face. This could be a perfect chance to show Fluttershy that he has good intentions after all, and just wants to help!

He folded up the paper and stood up, before snapping his claw to teleport to Twilight.

Startled, the princess let out a little squeak as she looked up to see Discord just standing there, but then let the fur on her shoulders lie flat.

"Why hello there, Discord. I didn't think you'd get here so quickly." She said, stepping off her throne and walking over to him.

Discord waved his paw in greeting. "I'd love to help, Princess. When do we start?"

"Already so eager to get started, huh? Tell you what, if you can fetch the girls for me-"

With a single snap, the other five mares appeared next to Discord. "Done and done!"

"What the hay?" Rainbow Dash looked around in confusion. "What's going on?"

"Oh, don't tell me there's more creatures attacking Equestria!" Rarity said in an annoyed tone.

Discord couldn't help but feel bad again for what he'd done.

"Girls, girls," Twilight replied. "Everything is fine. Discord and I were just talking about the Gala arrangements-"

"The Gala arrangements!" Rarity covered her mouth with her hoof. "I'd totally forgotten! How am I supposed to make six gorgeous dresses while also decorating the Gala at the same time?"

"That's actually what we were talking about-"

"And the family hasn't even gotten prepared for baking all that food!" Applejack said with a worried expression.

"Well, maybe-"

"Oh my! The birds don't even know how to sing a simple rhythm yet!"

"Girls!" Twilight shouted, before continuing calmly, "Why do you think Discord is here?"

All of them looked over to him, which made him feel a bit uncomfortable.

"And what help is he, exactly?" Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes, and Applejack glared at her, but didn't say anything.

"A lot, actually. He'll get us all the supplies we need faster than you can say dash!" Twilight replied.

Rainbow Dash looked at Twilight questioningly. "Da-"

"Hey, now that isn't fair! I don't even know what you need yet!"

Twilight giggled. "Well, ask!"

Discord studied all of the mares, and none of them said a word. "Oh, come on! It's not as if I'm gonna bite!"

"Well, I'm going to need some fabric," Rarity announced.

"What colors?" Discord asked, ready to snap his fingers.

Rarity looked around at everyone in the room, then simply said, "All."

_Oh, she's gonna regret that. _He thought to himself, but did as she commanded. Easily over 100 sheets of fabric landed on her, causing her to gasp in shock.

Rarity peeked her head through the pile with a frustrated facial expression. "That's a bit of an exaggeration, don't you think?"

Discord shook his head. "You said _all _colors. That includes colors one tint off from another color, one slight shade off from another color, and so on."

* * *

One by one, Discord gave all the mares exactly what they wanted. All except for one, which was Fluttershy. Discord realized she hadn't spoken up at all during this meeting.

"Fluttershy? You're the last one to ask Discord for your supplies." Rainbow Dash pointed out, in which Fluttershy looked up, startled.

"Huh?" She looked around, then relaxed. "Oh, it's fine. I don't really need anything."

Discord raised a brow at her. "You don't need music sheets?"

Fluttershy blushed lightly. "Um… Yeah, I do."

Discord snapped 4 music sheets into her hooves. "That should do. Is that all?"

She nodded without looking at Discord. He felt a pang of guilt. She was suddenly acting so… Distant.

"Well, if that's all, then we can start getting to work, and we'll meet here again in a few days. Deal?" Twilight broke the silence.

They all agreed, and Discord soon teleported back to his own place.

He sighed, all he could think about was how odd Fluttershy had been acting. She seemed as if she always had her mind on something, as if something was troubling her.

_No doubt, _he thought. _Not after what I did._

Just then, Discord decided he would try with all his might to make it up to her, even if it takes getting… Sappy. He didn't like doing it but he'd do anything for Fluttershy. Wait… What?


	2. Flames

_**Chapter 2 - Flames**_

Fluttershy found herself staring at what seemed to be a complete war-zone. Ponies were running around, screaming for their life, as their homes turned black in flames. The fumes smelled horrid, and tasted even worse. What was the cause of this?!

"Fluttershy…" A much too familiar voice spoke. She hadn't noticed Discord sitting beside her, burn marks on his fur and eyes wide with guilt and sorrow as he stared at the horror-filled town.

"I'm so…" He turned to face Fluttershy, and she hadn't noticed the tears building up in his eyes until now. He didn't finish the rest of his sentence, and instead covered his eyes with his hands. "I- I didn't mean to! Not again!"

Fluttershy stared at him, just now realizing what was going on. "Discord…"

"I- I-" He broke down, sobbing. "I can't control it! I don't know what to do! I've tried my best but…" He lifted his head slightly to look at the burning town. "I'm a monster. I always have been..."

Fluttershy wished she could tell him he was wrong, but after seeing what destruction he'd caused, she didn't know what to say.

"I'm so sorry…" He covered his eyes again. The whole town was in a huge singular flame by now, one that surely no-creature could survive. "I can't change, but I can't go on like this…" He looked up and stared directly into Fluttershy's eyes before saying this, "So I'm going to turn myself to stone forever."

Fluttershy gasped. "B-but…! You can't-"

"Just look at what I've done!" He yelled at her, making her whimper in fear. "Take a good, long look! Do you really think I deserve to live after doing that?"

Fluttershy couldn't stop the emotion from escaping her eyes. "Discord…"

"_Do you?!_ Surely not!" His anger turned to sadness once more. "This will be the last time I ever see you, Fluttershy. I'm sorry I can't stop making mistakes, but this will be the last one." He chuckled weakly, then his hands started glowing a light gray as he performed magic on himself.

"Discord, wait!"

She was too late, Discord's feet had already been turned to stone, and it was quickly getting up to his waist.

"Goodbye." He said to her.

"No! Discord!"

"_**NO!"**_

Fluttershy shot up from her bed, breathing heavily and looking at the clock. It was only 4AM. She rubbed her eyes and got out of bed, trotting to her kitchen. She got a leftover daisy sandwich from her fridge and sat down on her pale green sofa.

Fluttershy ate her food slowly and thought about her nightmare. _They're getting too real, _she sighed. Ever since Discord almost ended Equestria, she kept dreaming that he'll keep making mistakes, and soon it'll turn to… She put her head in her hooves as she thought about the nightmare.

She knew these dreams were affecting her trust on Discord. She really tried her best not to show it, but she was starting to get worried they may actually turn into reality.

When Discord gained trust from most - if not all - of Fluttershy's friends, her threw it away for power. After they all slowly forgave him, he threw away their trust again by getting the three most threatening villains in all of Equestria to destroy the world.

How many times would this happen? How many times would Fluttershy forgive him, only for him to betray every-creature again, then say he's sorry, then be trusted again, then-

Fluttershy put her hooves on her head. She was worrying so much she'd given herself a headache. _I really need some sleep. If I don't I won't be able to wake up in time to train the birds. _She thought to herself as she slowly walked over to her room again. She got on her bed and threw the blankets over her body, then slowly drifted into the dream world again.

**Author's Note: Sorry this chapter was a little short, I just wanted to show Fluttershy's point of view before I continued on with the next chapter. Thanks for reading!**


	3. Roses & Hills

_**Chapter 3 - Roses & Hills**_

* * *

Discord woke up with an enormous yawn, stretching out his limbs and blinking the sleep out of his eyes. Almost immediately, the draconequus got to thinking of ways he can make it up to his beloved friend.

He pulled out a small checklist and began saying his ideas out loud.

"Hmm… I need to figure out ways to make it so Fluttershy trusts me again." He thought for a moment, then frowned. "I… I wish I hadn't done those things… I wouldn't even be having to do this right now." He studied the ground for a moment, and a lightbulb appeared above his head. "I know what I should do! I'll give her the most wonderful gifts and hope she'll see I'm no monster!" the exact words he'd just said started to appear on the checklist.

"Oh, I don't need you anymore. I know exactly what I need to do." He snapped his fingers and the list disappeared.

* * *

Discord appeared behind a bush near Fluttershy's cottage. _Good thing she's in her backyard getting the birds to sing, _He thought to himself as he quietly teleported inside her house. Discord realized how creepy he must seem right now, and made himself invisible with his Chaotic magic.

He knew he should probably just give her the gift and leave, but he hadn't visited Fluttershy in such a long time. Discord teleported himself to Fluttershy's backyard, where she was getting the birds to sing extremely well. He stared for a while, looking at her pastel yellow coat and that soft pink mane of hers. She was smiling and laughing, just like she should. He thought about how she was acting around him yesterday and felt guilty again. _Of course she only acts like that around me, _he thought miserably.

He walked back into the cottage and put the most vibrant and sparkly roses he could think of on the small table next to her sofa. On the rubber band that held the flowers together there was a small note that said: _For my one and only Fluttershy._

He hoped this was a good start to his journey of making it up to her, as he couldn't think of much else he could do for her.

Just then, he heard a door open, followed by hoof-steps that kept getting closer every second. Forgetting he was invisible, he teleported outside and peered through Fluttershy's window.

She was humming a song with her beautiful voice, fluttering around with her wings like a butterfly, and peacefully dancing in the air. She looked over and saw the rose glistening in Celestia's sun through the window.

"What's this?" She spoke aloud as she lightly landed on her hooves and stared in awe at the bright flower.

Discord watched as she lifted the tag with her hooves and read his message. He was ready to see a smile make its way across her cheeks, but instead saw a simple blank stare. Puzzlement raced through his mind, but he didn't dare teleport in to ask her what was going on.

Fluttershy stood there for another few moments, before a despondent look cast over her face.

"Oh Discord…" She said, but didn't finish her sentence. The yellow pegasus shook her head and walked slowly back to the outside of her cottage.

Sadness gripped at Discord's heart. Had he done something wrong? Accidentally put the wrong message? He sighed. _What am I supposed to do?_

* * *

Back in his chaotic dimension, the draconequus was still thinking about how Fluttershy had reacted to the rose. Maybe it wasn't enough? He had no clue what he should do anymore. The free supplies hadn't worked, nor the present.

_I have to do more, _He thought to himself. _I have to make sure she knows how much she means to me! _He suddenly felt hot as he realized what he'd said. _Not in that way… _He thought to himself again. He only thought of Fluttershy as a friend, nothing more.

Discord sat there for a moment, then a smile appeared on his face. _He just got the most great idea._

* * *

The Draconequus stood on a hill near a forest and studied it carefully.

"Now, how should I do this…" He looked around, then smiled and snapped his fingers. A royal blue blanket floated down on top of the hill and landed gently, followed by a telescope right above it.

Discord watched as the sky turned purple and pink as the sun set below the horizon, and he turned around to see the surface of Luna's moon slowly appear with the stars on the opposite side of the sky.

_Now was the time. _

He teleported himself back where he was earlier, outside Fluttershy's window. Fluttershy was sitting on her sofa and reading a book of some sort. She was in a cozy orange blanket, and had a cup of what looked like tea right next to her. Discord snapped his fingers and a note drifted onto her blanket.

The yellow mare looked up from her book and stared at the note. She picked it up carefully and read it. Fluttershy had a slightly confused look on her face, but when Discord saw her get up off the sofa and put on a green jacket, he knew he would see her on the hill.

In the note, he'd invited her to go stargazing with him on a particular hill out in the forest. The hill was named Mūnhiru, which means Moon Hill, and it was known for it's amazing landscape. Discord knew how much she loved nature and beautiful scenery, so he really hoped this would work out.

He snapped his fingers and teleported back to the untouched spot he had set up for them. He smiled, and his heart soared with joy. Even if she didn't give him her forgiveness yet, he knew this would surely make him one step closer to gaining it.

* * *

**Author's Note: Sorry for the long wait! I was planning stuff for the next few chapters, so stay tuned! Some stuff is gonna go down! Thanks for continuing on to chapter 3, and I'll see you all again on chapter 4!**


	4. Stargazing

_**Chapter 4 - Stargazing**_

* * *

Fluttershy was sitting on her sofa reading a book while tucked in her blanket. She had just wrapped up her song training with the birds, and she wanted to just sit back and relax. She had a warm cup of peppermint tea beside her, and some candles lit so she could read in the dark. The sun was setting and she had just finished the fifth chapter when a piece of paper floated out of nowhere and onto her leg.

She looked at it questioningly, picked it up, and read it.

_Dear Fluttershy,_

_I am sending you this note because I have a surprise for you._

_Please, if you can, meet me on __Mūnhiru as soon as possible._

_I can't wait forever!_

_-Discord._

Fluttershy sighed and got up from her comfy zone. She thought about the things he'd done for her today, Discord already gave her one surprise, why is he giving her another? The mare picked up her warm green jacket and slipped it on, poking her wings out through the wing holes.

_Maybe he thinks he didn't do enough yet?_ She wondered. The rose was nice, and she did like it, but every time she thought of Discord her fears came running back to her. She didn't want to think of her friend as a cruel monster, but she just couldn't shake the feeling that he might never stop this toxic cycle.

Fluttershy trotted out the door, the cool night breeze hitting her face and she wished she were still in her warm blanket. She didn't want to leave Discord hanging though, so she continued on the path that lead to ponyville.

* * *

Once Fluttershy was in ponyville, she looked around for signs that said which direction Mūnhiru was. She'd heard it was on the outskirts of the Everfree Forest, but she wanted to make sure.

When Fluttershy finally confirmed that, yes, Mūnhiru was on the edge of the Everfree, she headed toward the correct path. She wondered if she had taken too long and Discord thought she had abandoned him. _I hope he's still there, _she said to herself as she trotted along a narrow trail with long grass and overgrown bushes around it.

She found herself in a large, open area all the sudden. There was nicely cut berry bushes, medium-length grass, wild flowers all around, and a large hill in the middle of all of it. She was at Mūnhiru.

Fluttershy cautiously walked up the hill. As she did, things came into view that she hadn't seen before. A soft blue blanket, a telescope and… Discord!

"Well, it's a delight to see you came." He said. He was laying on the blanket, right next to the telescope.

"Um…" Fluttershy paused and looked around awkwardly. "This place is really pretty."

"Oh, why yes it is my dear. Just like…" He paused. "Just like the stars!" He pointed up to the sky with his claw, in which Fluttershy looked up.

He was right. They were very beautiful tonight. They shimmered and sparkled in the sky, and for a moment Fluttershy thought she saw… There was a shooting star!

"Oh, wow!" Fluttershy stared at the ball of fire as it crashed down.

Discord smiled. "You should make a wish."

The pegasus thought for a moment, then closed her eyes and said the words in her head. _I wish that tonight will be just like old times, and that… That my nightmares will never come true. _Fluttershy felt a frown start to tug at her face, and she looked away, not wanting her friend to see.

But, it was too late. Discord had already detected that she was sad. "Is something wrong, Fluttershy?"

"It's…" Fluttershy paused, contemplating whether or not she should really tell him. "It's nothing. So, why'd you invite me here?" she tried to change the topic.

She saw a flash of disappointment in Discord's eyes, but he said nothing of it. "Well, I thought since we haven't really been hanging out as often, I would take you out!" he smiled, then jumped up. "N-not in that way! I mean like take you-"

"I know what you mean." Fluttershy giggled, walking over and sitting down beside Discord. She was so close she could feel the heat coming off of his body as he twiddled his thumbs awkwardly.

"W-well," he looked up at the sky again. "Another reason is because I haven't gone star-gazing in a while."

"How long is a while?" Fluttershy looked over to him curiously.

He thought for a moment. "About 740 years."

The pegasus gasped, forgetting how old he was. "That's a long time… You've never just sat and looked up at the stars at all in those years?!"

"Well, yes, but I never actually cared to admire them." Discord sat up, only to lay the other way, on his back. "I do remember one thing about stargazing though," he patted the grass behind Fluttershy. "You get the best view if you lay on your back."

Fluttershy laid down where discord's claw had just been and looked up at the sky for a few minutes. The beautiful white stars shone brightly against the midnight atmosphere surrounding them.

The mare couldn't help herself from yawning, and she felt Discord's gaze land upon her.

"Oh-! I hadn't realized it was so late. Do you want me to teleport you home?" He offered, but Fluttershy shook her head.

"No… I don't think I want to leave, I mean this place is so pretty and…" She yawned again, slightly curling up and resting her head against the soft grass.

Discord moved closer to her and wrap his tail around hers, and Fluttershy could hear the sound of his fast heartbeat as he watched her drift to sleep. She thought it was a little creepy, but didn't bother ruining the peaceful moment.

She decided to listen to the sound of the wind blowing through the leaves on the trees, and the rustle of the grass below them and, soon, she went off to dreamland, where she could only hope she wouldn't have another one of those horrendous nightmares.

* * *

**Sorry for the long wait! If you had checked my profile, you'd know I had a concussion and hence couldn't use my laptop for a couple days. However, it's all cleared up and I can write again! Thanks if you stayed, and I'll be looking forward to posting the next one as soon as possible!**


	5. Dream and Dread

_**Chapter 5 - Dream and Dread**_

* * *

Discord sighed dreamily as he stared down at the peacefully sleeping pegasus beside him. No matter how beautiful the night sky and it's stars were, there would always be something prettier than it to Discord, and that was Fluttershy. He felt as if he could stare at her for hours and never get tired of the sight.

_Dear Celestia, why do you have to be so mesmerizing? _Discord thought to himself as he shook his head and glanced away. _I'm such a huge creep._

After a few minutes of trying, Discord knew he couldn't fall asleep. He found himself staring into the depths of the sky once more, but this time he wasn't looking at all of the different shimmering stars. Instead, he was thinking about how much he had to do just to make Fluttershy hang out with him tonight. Usually, all Discord would have to do was teleport to wherever she was and she'd start up a friendly conversation, or maybe even ask if he wanted to do something together, but for these past few days it seemed like she was trying to push him away from her.

Discord felt a pang of sadness as he thought that Fluttershy might not want to be his friend anymore. "After all I've done, I wouldn't blame you." He mumbled somberly as he sat up and studied the mare once thought of all the good times they had together, and how much happiness she gave him everyday. Would he ever feel that way with her again?

Discord pushed himself up off the ground and flew up in the air over to a tree with pink flowers in it, looking at each one carefully and picking the most perfect one from the branch it hung off of. He held it in his claw for a moment, it's sweet smell reminding him of the sugar cookies Fluttershy would bake for them during Hearth's Warming Eve. More sadness gripped at his emotions, and he held the flower to his chest.

_It feels like I'm losing you, Fluttershy. I don't know what to do… _

He flew back down to the mare and gently put the flower in her hair with a weak smile.

_What if I've lost you already? _

He sat by her side for a few moments, then went back to where he was originally and laid down, curling up like a cat and wrapping his tail around his paw and claw.

_I don't know if I want to go on without you by my side. I think… I think I-_

"No!" Discord shouted, jumping up. He quieted down, afraid he might have woken up Fluttershy, but luckily she was still sleeping. The draconequus covered his eyes and shook his head. "I can't… I'm _Discord! _No creature could ever love somebody like me, and somebody like me could never love any creature. That's the way it's been for what? The past thousand or so years?" He paused, then frowned. "I… I can't love Fluttershy. She's my- She _was _my best friend..."

He was again reminded of all the horrible things he did, which only made him sadder. "I just don't want her to go…" Discord could feel something wet building up in his eyes, and he quickly turned away from Fluttershy and wiped the tears away.

"Discord? Who are you talking to?" He heard the mares voice from behind him, which startled him for a second.

"Um," He began, not looking over to her. "I wasn't talking to anyone. I wasn't even talking!" _Why am I so bad at lying?_

"Discord…"

"You should go back to sleep. Do you want to go back to your cottage or-" He tried to change the topic, but Fluttershy didn't let him.

"Something's wrong." Fluttershy interrupted him.

Discord chuckled nervously. "Whatever would make you think that, dear?"

"Well, for starters, you aren't looking at me when you speak, and you seem…" She thought for a moment. "Uneasy."

Discord sighed and turned around, looking into the pegasus' teal eyes. "It's just that… I feel like…" _What should I say?!_

"Like what?"

"A um... Monster." He answered. _I didn't lie..._ _that's not the only thing bothering me though._

Discord saw Fluttershy's facial expression go from concern to surprise. "Discord," she put her hoof on Discord's paw, which made him feel hot. "Yes, you've made mistakes before, but you've apologized for all of them. If you don't keep repeating those mistakes, I don't think you're a monster." She said, and Discord thought it sounded more like a promise than a reassuring statement.

"But…" He turned away again. "Ponies don't look at me the same, and I'm getting more glares than usual. It's almost like when I first got reformed." Discord looked back at the memory. "All any creature ever saw was the beast that terrorized their village over and over again, and was turned to stone because of it."

Fluttershy stayed silent, and when Discord looked back to her again, he saw that she was distracted by something in the trees.

"Did… Did you hear that?" She said, not taking her eyes off of the forest.

He realized she was looking to the direction of the Everfree border, where tons of strange creatures live, ones that could potentially hurt Fluttershy if they weren't careful.

"Stay close to me, dear." He got on all fours and stood in front of her defensively. He squinted his eyes so he might see better in the darkness, but all he could make out was the rustle of a bush and the scent of…

"Is that a timberwolf?" The mare spoke out his thoughts.

"I think so."

The bush was moving more now, and just a few moments went by before the bright glow of two icy blue eyes pierced through the darkness. _Blue? I've never seen a timberwolf with blue eyes before. Unless…?_ Discord shook his head. _It couldn't be! The last time I saw one of those was almost three hundred years ago!_

He saw the silhouette of a big, and quite literally sharp creature sprint out of the bush and into the trees behind it.

"Huh." Fluttershy said in a more calmer tone. "Whatever it was, it looked as if it had spikes on it."

"If it's a timberwolf then those were probably thorns," He replied, then turned to her with a confused look. "Hey- Wait a minute! I thought you knew like, everything about animals!"

"Not about creatures of the Everfree!" She shivered. "I don't like going in there. It's so… Spooky."

"Well, whatever it was, it's gone now." Discord sat down on the grass once more. "Wonder what it was doing though."

"Y-you think it was spying on us?!" Fluttershy stood up in fear and swung her head to face Discord.

"Pfft," Discord waved a dismissive claw. "Why would it spy on us? I mean, what use would that be to it? If anything, it was probably just taking a nap and there and decided to head off after it woke up."

"O-okay…" Fluttershy said shakily.

"I think it's about time I take you back to your house, eh?" Discord smiled, and when Fluttershy nodded, he snapped his claw and teleported them to her cottage.

Fluttershy looked around, then looked over to the draconequus with a confused look. "Where'd you put the blanket and telescope?"

"Back in my dimension. I would've gone with them, but I just wanted to say farewell before I went." He waved his paw.

"O-oh…" The pegasus looked down shyly at the ground. "Well, I um… I had a fun time with you, Discord."

He couldn't help but smile. "Same to you. Maybe we could do something like that again?"

"Y-yeah. I'd like that." She returned the smile. "See you soon."

"You too!" And with that, he was back in his chaos realm.

He sighed and flopped himself on his upside-down sofa. He really did have a grand time tonight, besides all of the guilt, worry, awkwardness, sadness… It was fun.

He thought back to the thing he'd seen in the bush, and a sense of dread fell upon him. Something about it… Made his heart drop to his stomach. Something about it made his hands shake and his throat dry like a desert.

Something wasn't right about that thing. He knew it.

And, though he clearly saw it run away and back into the forest, he wasn't entirely sure it was gone from him.


	6. Little Secret

_**Chapter 6 - Little Secret**_

* * *

The warm rays of the sun shining on her face is what woke Fluttershy up. Though it was cozy, she knew today she had another meeting with Twilight and their friends. Sure, she didn't mind being teleported there by Discord, but she would much rather be awake when it happened.

She got out of bed and stretched out her wings before making her way over to the sunlit kitchen, where Angel was eating carrots.

"Morning, Angel." She said as she dug through her cupboards for a glass. When she found one, she got some water and grabbed some cucumbers and lettuce to snack on. She had barely even put three slices of lettuce on her little plate when she heard her doorbell ring.

The pegasus sighed and walked over to her door, in which she opened it. Before her stood a small pale pony, most likely a teenager, wearing a blue hat and a bright red necklace.

"Mornin' Ms. Shy!" She waved happily. "Ah just needed to give ya yer mail fer today."

"Oh, alright." She smiled as the pony dug through her packages.

"Whoowee! Looks like you got a big one!" She grabbed a giant box and pushed it towards Fluttershy with a struggle. "There ya go. Wonder who sent that! And of course, some daily pony news for ya." She gently placed a folded up newspaper on top of the box.

"Wow." Fluttershy stared at the box. It was almost the size of her, she didn't know how she was gonna fit it through her doorway. "Well, um, thank you."

"Pleasure's all mine! By the way, your hair is really pretty. No wonder all of 'em stallions are up in yer tail!" She giggled and nudged Fluttershy with a hoof. "Well, pardon, but ah gotta continue with mah job. Toodles!" She waved before hopping off.

Fluttershy smiled before grabbing the box and forced it through her door. It was hard, yes, but she did it and that's all that mattered. Now the question rose: Who sent it, and, what was in it?

The yellow mare was about to open the box when suddenly everything around her changed, and she was in Twilight's castle.

"O-oh," She looked around and blushed. All of her friends were already here, she guessed she teleported late.

"Good," Twilight walked over to them. "Everypony's here- err, every_creature's _here I mean."

Fluttershy heard Applejack giggle, and Twilight continued.

"So, how's evercreature's project coming along?"

"Well," Rainbow Dash was the first one to chime in, "Me and the Wonderbolts-"

"Actually it's the Wonderbolts and _I_." Twilight interrupted. Rainbow raised a brow at her, and Twilight laughed nervously. "But, I guess this isn't an english exam so it doesn't really matter. Um, continue."

Rainbow Dash smiled. "The wonderbolts and _I _have been working on some pretty awesome moves, so I think it's going really well. Only downside is that, the way we're flying is like _super _exhausting, and High Winds sprained her wing from the constant workout a couple days ago."

"Oh, that sounds so painful! Is she okay?" Fluttershy gasped.

"She will be, but she won't be able to perform at the gala this year."

"That's gotta be rough." Applejack put in before continuing. "The food is going well. We've got well over ten batches each of apple fritters, apple pies, hell, even applesauce! The harvest this year has been superb, So we're lucky to even have this much apples to work with!"

"That's great Applejack!" Twilight replied.

"_Please _tell me there's gonna be apple cider." Rainbow Dash begged.

Applejack giggled. "Always will be. But only _after _all of the fillies and colts have been put to bed."

"What?! Why?!" Rainbow groaned. "It's not like you're going to _sell _it to them!"

"You never know what kids are up to these days. They can be super sneaky if need be."

"Pfft. Yeah right!" The pegasus rolled her eyes.

"Hey, if dogs with three heads and bears with the body of a bee exists, then a filly stealin' a sip of cider is possible."

Twilight giggled. "I think almost anything is possible at this point." She turned over to the Pink mare who was sitting beside Rarity. "What about you, Pinkie? Weren't you doing food this year too?"

"I'm doing a bit of both worlds!" She smiled. "I'm helping Mr. and Mrs. Cake with the baking, and I'm decorating with Rarity so she doesn't have to do so much work! It's really fun!"

"She has been a big help." Rarity added. "I mean, with all the stress of making so many dresses _and _decorating the gala in such a short amount of time, she puts my mind at ease a little, knowing that if _I _can't get to the decor, she will."

"Well that's good. I assume the dresses are going well?"

"Oh, just divine! I was actually going to ask you if you could come to the boutique this evening to try on your dress and see if you want any changes done to it." She fluffed up her mane with her hoof.

"I don't think I have anything to do at 6PM. I'll be there then?"

"Splendid!"

The purple mare turned to look at Fluttershy. "And how about the music?"

"Um." Fluttershy began. "It's going well. Most of them are getting the hang of the first and second song, but Gerard is having a bit of trouble. I just don't know how to tell him that he might not be able to sing at the gala…" She twiddled her hooves nervously.

"Have you told him that he's messin' up?" Applejack asked.

"Well yes, but no matter how I try, I can't fix his singing. I think there may be something wrong with his vocal cords…"

"I'm confused." Pinkie tilted her head. "Didn't Discord give you _three _songs?"

"That's the thing. I wanted to start practicing the third song, but I've been so focused on Gerard's problem that I haven't really gotten to it." She said awkwardly.

"I say kick that pesky bird off the team! You can't let some lousy old vocal cords stop you from continuing the practice!" Rainbow complained.

"I know… But, I don't want to hurt his feelings…" She lowered her voice.

"Sugarcube, you and I both know that the best thing to do in this situation is to be honest. Sure, it may hurt, but you know what'll hurt more? Being embarrassed at the gala if he stays as one of yer singers." Applejack said.

Fluttershy nodded with a solemn look. "I'll tell him."

"...Well," Twilight said awkwardly, "since all of your guys' assigned projects seem to be going relatively good, I think our next meeting can wait until next week. Sound good?"

"Mhm."

"Yup!"

"Alright!"

"What about you, Discord?" Twilight turned over to him, but he didn't say anything. His attention was on something else. "Discord…?" Twilight realized he was staring at Fluttershy, and a sudden smug expression appeared on her face. "Hey, lover boy!"

"Wha- huh?" He shook his head. "What did you just say?"

Twilight giggled. "Finally got your attention. Does a meeting next week sound good?"

"Uh…" He rubbed his arm nervously. "Yeah."

"Good! May you teleport the girls back home please?" She smiled.

Discord did as told and was about to leave when Twilight stopped him.

"You know, I saw that look you were giving Fluttershy. How long have you liked her for?"

"Wha- I-" His face got redder and redder as he failed to say any proper words.

Twilight laughed. "Don't worry. I can keep a secret." Then, she turned around and started walking back to her throne, and that was Discord's queue to leave.

Before he did, though, he turned around and said to Twilight, "I don't know what you're on about. I'm not in lo- I don't like Fluttershy in that way!" He felt as if he were lying through his teeth, and the giant bouquet of flowers he'd sent her this morning didn't help his case.


End file.
